This invention relates generally to apparatuses for rearing small animals, such as rats or mice, and more particularly to an apparatus of this kind having an automatic cleaning device.
An apparatus for rearing small animals, such as mice, generally includes a main structure having a plurality of rearing spaces disposed one above another for the purposes of reducing rearing labor and effective use of space. It is common with a rearing apparatus of this type to slope the floor of each rearing space in front-to-rear direction of the structure for easy cleaning thereof by flushing away foul matter such as excrement of the animals and spilled feed, which will hereinafter be referred to collectively as "filth".
In the conventional method of cleaning a rearing apparatus of this type, an operator cleans the floor of each rearing space with water running out from one end of a hose manually held by the operator and connected to a water supply source at the other end thereof, thereby washing away filth, making use of the slope of the floor.
This method is very labor- and time-consuming for the cleaning, and this is all the more true especially in the case of cleaning floors of great length. When the water pressure is low or there is a large amount of filth, the water supplied from a hose cannot wash away the filth with its force, and therefore a broom or a scraping tool must be used to discharge the filth outside of the apparatus.